This invention relates to toys, and more particularly to an information and control center for a toy racing system with electrically controlled vehicles that run on electrically powered tracks.
Toy racing systems of the slot, slotless, and steerable type have grown in popularity over the years. The vehicles of such systems come in a variety of sizes and styles, but each typically includes an electric motor for driving the vehicles around the track. The tracks of such systems can range from a simple oval comprising a single lane with an electrical path extending along the lane for providing electrical power to the vehicle, to multiple lanes and electrical paths disposed through an assortment of curves and loops to provide a challenging environment to those of more advanced operating skills, and thus more enjoyment during operation of the toy racing system.
In an effort to more realistically portray actual racing conditions, U.S. Pat. No. 4,247,107 issued to Smith, III et al. has proposed an electronically controlled road race system with facilities for starting a race, counting and displaying completed laps for each car, calculating and displaying remaining fuel for each car, introducing random failures for each car, and a track section that is decoupled from track power for the performance of pit functions. In order to refuel a car during a pit stop, a pit switch must be continuously actuated for nine seconds before the car is fully refueled. For repairs of different failure conditions, the pit switch must be actuated for predetermined time periods depending on the type, and thus the severity of the failure. Although this system provides a more realistic approach to actual racing events, there is no provision for interactive control and feedback of the pit stop functions where the length of time in the pit stop is dependent on the operator""s skill.
The invention is used in a system including an electrically powered toy vehicle and a continuous loop track for racing the electrically powered toy vehicle under operator control, the continuous track having at least one lane and an electrical path extending along the lane for providing electrical power to the vehicle about the track. The invention is a combination that comprises a pit stop segment in at least one lane. It further comprises a control unit operably connected with the electrical path. The control unit includes a control mechanism manually operable to electronically perform at least one simulated pit stop function on an electrically powered toy vehicle while in the pit stop segment. The combination further comprises an electrically operated display unit operably connected to the control unit and is configured to generate a visual display of a progression of the at least one simulated pit stop function in response to manipulation of the second control mechanism.